A group of Republican Trump supporters, including one congressman in Texas, has filed a new case in a last-ditch effort to overturn the election results, arguing that Vice President Mike Pence should finally decide which electoral college to vote for. count when Congress meets on January 6 to accept the election results.
The case, led by Texas Representative Louie Gohmert, specifically wants to reject Pence’s votes from the Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin Electoral College, which all voted for President-elect Joe Biden in an attempt to oust Trump. a second term despite his loss on 3 November.
The lawsuit alleges, without evidence, that such action is necessary because of ‘substantial evidence of electoral fraud and other unlawful conduct’. Several Republican lawmakers have said they intend to challenge the election votes – forcing Congress to wage a fierce political battle over the election results.
Trump, who spent the holidays at his Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida, refused to concede the election because his legal team and members of the GOP had spent the weeks since the election in unsuccessful attempts at the outcome, including dozens of failed court challenges based on unfounded allegations of fraud. Trump has tweeted several times that he believes he is the rightful winner of the election.
The latest case was filed against Pence, who supported legal challenges for the outcome of the election, in his official capacity because he would chair the Senate and receive the votes of Congress.
Pence is on vacation in Colorado this week and has not responded publicly to the lawsuit. A Vice Presidential spokesman declined to comment. Newsweek Monday.
Gohmert, a lawyer and former judge, has been known in the past to take up controversial and conspiratorial positions, most notably former President Barack Obama and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Others who joined Gohmert in his pack include Arizona Republican voters, including GOP chairman Kelli Ward and Tyler Bowyer, a leader in the Students for Trump movement.
Biden, who received 306 votes for Trump’s 232 votes, was working on his transition and on January 20, due to the ongoing pandemic in the coronavirus, plans for a reduced inauguration ceremony.
Gohmert’s lawsuit is expected to be heard by Trump-appointed judge Jeremy Kernodle in Texas. The plaintiffs are requesting a speedy review, although it is unclear when the court can handle the case.
‘Under the Twelfth Amendment, accused Pence alone has the sole authority and sole discretion to open and permit the voting for a given state, and where there are competing voters, or where there is an objection to any ballot of voters, to determine which voters’ votes, or not, will not be counted, ”the lawsuit alleges.
Elijah Nouvelage / Getty